Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) holds the highest cost of any acute care condition on a per case basis in Canada. For patients who are critically ill, ARDS can be highly fatal. This devastating condition is characterized by severe inflammation which can impair normal gas exchange and result in respiratory failure. Despite decades of research, there are no specific therapies for ARDS and current treatment consists mainly of supportive care. Stemming from evidence that mesenchymal stem cells can treat acute lung injury in animal models, current efforts are looking at the therapeutic potential of these stem cells in patients with ARDS. However, cell therapy is limited by potentially serious adverse events including formation of tumours and blood clots. We believe that small membrane-bound particles released by mesenchymal stem cells, known as exosomes, may have similar beneficial effects in acute inflammation, without the risks of cell delivery. Hence, exosomes represent a potentially safer "cell-free" treatment option. This study aimed to determine the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes in both cell and animal models of ARDS. In cell experiments, exosomes improved cell migration. In animal experiments, we treated a mouse model of ARDS with exosomes. As a result, exosomes appear to improve the barrier function of lungs and significantly reduce markers of inflammation. These promising results suggest that exosomes may be a viable therapy for ARDS. Future studies will identify and increase expression of molecules that mediate the protective effects of exosomes to enhance their efficacy. If this cell-free therapy is proven beneficial for ARDS, our research group is ideally positioned to move this potentially life-saving treatment into clinical trials and provide a novel approach to treat this vulnerable patient population in Canada.